Sierra Leone Students Stage "Coup" at London High Commission | Proclaim Government-in-Exile | 1971

January 1971.
Footage of a press conference given by a group of London-based Sierra Leonean students who took over the Sierra Leone High Commission building at 33 Great Portland Place in West London.
The action was claimed to have been to bring attention to 68 political prisoners being detatined in Sierra Leone by the government of Mr. Siaka Stevens, the Sierra Leonean Prime Minister.
They claimed to be members of the Sierra Leone United Democratic Party.
Mr. Joseph Olufemi John, became the new "High Commissioner" while Frederick Kamara was announced as the "Counsellor and Economic Attache".
A brief telephone exchange between Siaka Stevens and one of the students ended abruptly with Stevens dropping the phone in anger. The students demanded that he release opposition political prisoners at home in exchange for the "hostages"they were holding in the High Commission.
The "coup" lasted for less than 3 hours. It came to end owing to the presence of British police in front the premises and although a foreign mission is considered to be that nation's territory, the entered the premises and brought the protest to an end. This is because the state in which the mission is based "is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect (such premises) against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity."
Mr. John Bankole-Jones, the information attache, gave a press briefing afterwards.
The High Commissioner, Mr. Victor Kanu had been in Sierra Leone having talks with the government when the incident occurred.
The reporter was Jacky Gillott.
Footage: ITN News.
NB.
. Nine demonstrators were tried for criminal offences at the Central Criminal Court (the "Old Bailey") in London. They were convicted of tresspass and unlawful assembly. Four of them were also convicted of having an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence. Two of them, Joseph Adewole John and Mohamed Lehai Samura, appealed against this conviction.
. Henry John's brother, Joseph Adewole John, who took part in the incident became an actor and political activist in Britain.
. John Bankole-Jones was a career diplomat. He became a lawyer in Sierra Leone and returned to Britain in the late 1980s to work for the Crown Prosecution Service.
. The High Commissioner Victor Kanu had been in Sierra Leone for talks over his personal conduct. He was accused of having gone through a bigamous marriage ceremony with Genoveva Marais while his wife, Fanny, and their 5 children were living in Sierra Leone. Kanu was dismissed from his position. Kanu and Marais later became life-long members of the Sathya Sai International Organisation.
. Jacky Gillott was a broadcaster and novelist. One of the first British female reporters, she committed suicide in 1980 at age 40.

[@abdurrahmanabubakar98]

It feels like yesterday, life is a passing phase.

[@georgewalker2831]

@@abdurrahmanabubakar98 yes as the late great reggae singer bob Marley said ones a man and twice a child

[@parzrelmuzik]

I mentioned this incident in my Tribute to one of the Leaders of this Trespass, Mr Adewole John referred to in the clip as Henry John when he died in 2011. Clip Link below. (Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr)

[@adeyinkamakinde6164]

@parzrelmuzik: Thank you. Are you a contemporary of Mr. Adewole John? I recently discovered this clip and spent time downloading reports of the incident at the time that it happened in 1971. I also found an online record of the trial. After reading through the newspaper reports and the trial, I came to the conclusion that there were two Johns, presumably both brothers, who were involved namely: 1. Joseph Olufemi John, who used the temporary pseudonym "Henry John" and 2. Joseph Adewole John. You see, in the criminal case brought against the protesters for conspiring to commit unlawful trespass and unlawful assembly (R v Kamara and others, 1972), two names with the surname John were listed among the 9 defendants (later appellents) i.e. Joseph Adewole John and Henry Olufemi John.

[@parzrelmuzik]

@adeuinkamakinde6164: This is great. Yes, I am not only a contemporary, I was a schoolmate and personal friend with them, Joseph Adewole John, and his immediate elder brother, Henry Olufemi John. They have an elder brother Daniel, also who was at the time of the incident in Freetown working for the Sierra Leone Brodcasting Service (now corporation). Moreover, we were all part of the then opposition All Peoples Congress Party (APC) led by Siaka Stevens, who won the elections against the regime of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). We were very vibrant members of the YOUTH LEAGUE. The win was short-lived as there were coups, and this brought divisions. The brothers and other Youth League members sought further education in different overseas countries - the John brothers came to England in 1968; I was still in Sierra Leone working in a bank. The problem started for them in 1969 when another Party, the UDP was launched by the previous Foreign Minister of the SLPP, Dr John Karefa-Smart. This party was later banned as there was the start of violence. By dint of coincidence, the John brothers were on holiday? in Freetown, when that happened, Dr. Karefa-Smart fled to the USA and the John brothers after some drama, passports seized, etc. confusion at the airport and all that jazz, were allowed to depart back to UK. They then joined with other objectionists to become exile opposition. Following the attempted couple by another General, John Bangura, opposition party members were arrested and the failed coup plotters. Then, plans were afoot for the country to become a Republic. It was this, and the arrest of opposition members ignited radical voices leading to the illegal occupation of the High Commission. I gave a short mention about this incident in my Eulogy to Adewole John (as he is commonly known): you may have read it hopefully. Olufemi is still in the USA, their elder brother Daniel is now in his 80s in London. I shall be grateful if you can let me have copies of the material you have on them and the case. I was in Freetown when the incident took place, but I was here in London in 1972 when the case started. I saw the reference under Kamara vs. DPP (the appeal), not so much the case of First Instant at the High Court. It was a to us when the news broke; we saw it live on BBC TV reports and heard it on Radio. We then had good brocasting architecture in Sierra Leone then, and the newspapers were excellent in covering the story. God bless 🙌 Show quoted text

[@parzrelmuzik]

@adeuinkamakinde6164: This is great. Yes, I am not only a contemporary, I was a schoolmate and personal friend with them, Joseph Adewole John, and his immediate elder brother, Henry Olufemi John. They have an elder brother Daniel also who was at the time of the incident in Freetown working for the Sierra Leone Brodcasting Service (now corporation). Moreover, we were all part of the then opposition All Peoples Congress Party (APC) led by Siaka Stevens, which won the elections against the regime of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) led by Sir Albert Margai. We were very vibrant members of the YOUTH LEAGUE. The win was short lived as there were coups, and this brought divisions. The brothers and other Youth League members sought further education in different overseas countries - the John brothers came to England in 1968; I was still in Sierra Leone working in a bank. The problem started for them in 1969 when another Party, the UDP was launched by the previous Foreign Minister of the SLPP, Dr John Karefa-Smart. This Party was later banned as there was start of violence. By dint of coincidence, the John brothers were on holiday? in Freetown when that happened; Dr Karefa-Smart fled to the USA and the John brothers after some drama, passports seized etc. confusion at the airport and 'all that jazz' they were allowed to depart back to UK. They then joined with other objectionists to become exile opposition. Following the attempted coup by another General, John Bangura, opposition party members were arrested and the failed coup plotters also. Then, plans were afoot for the country to become a Republic. It was this, and the arrest of opposition members that ignited radical voices leading to the illegal occupation of the High Commission. I gave a short mention about this incident in my Eulogy to Adewole John (as he is commonly known): you may have read it hopefully. Olufemi is still in the USA, their elder brother Daniel is now in his 80s in London. I shall be greatful if you can let me have copies of the material you have on them and the case. I was in Freetown when the incident took place, but was here in London in 1972 when the case started. I saw the reference under Kamara vs DPP, (the appeal), not so much the case of First Instant at the High Court. It was a surprise to us all when the news broke; we saw it live on BBC TV reports and heard it on Radio in SierraLeone. At that time we had good brocasting architecture in Sierra Leone and the newspapers were excellent in covering the story. It was from then on, that Sierra Leone troubles began leading to more coups, attempted coups 11 years WAR and yet still more troubles and decline. God bless 🙌 Show quoted text 2:10

[@parzrelmuzik]

@adeuinkamakinde6164: This is great. Yes, I am not only a contemporary, I was a schoolmate and personal fried with them, Joseph Adewole John, and his immediate elder brother, Henry Olufemi John. They have an elder brother too who was at the time of the incident in Freetown working for the Sierra Leone Brodcasting Service (now corporation). Moreover, we were all part of the then opposition All Peoples Congress Party (APC) led by Siaka Stevens which won the elections against the regime of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). We were very vibrant members of the YOUTH LEAGUE. The win was short lived as there were couos, and this brought divisions. The brothers and other Youth League members sought further education in different overseas countries- the John brothers came to England in 1968; I was still in Sierra Leone working in a Bank. The problem started for them in 1969 when another Party, the UDP was launched by the previous Foreign Minister of the SLPP, Dr John Karefa-Smart. This Party was later banned as there was start of violence. By dint of coincidence, the John brothers were on holiday? in Freetown when that happened; Dr Karefa-Smart fled to the USA and the John brothers after some drama- passports seized etc. confusion at the airport and all, were allowed to depart back to UK. They then joined with other objectionists to become an exile opposition. Following the attempted couple by another General, John Bangura, opposition party members were arrested and the failed coup plotters. Then, plans were afoot for the country to become a Republic. It was this, and the arrest of opposition members ignited radical voices leading to the illegal occupation of the High Commission. I gave a short mention about this incident in my Eulogy to Adewole John (as he is commonly known): you may have read it hopefully. Olufemi is still in the USA, their elder brother Daniel is now in his 80s in London. I shall be greatful if you can let me have copies of the material you have on them and the case. I was in Freetown when the incident took place, but was here in London in 1972 when the case started. I saw the reference under Kamara vs DPP, (the appeal), not so much the case of First Instant at the High Court. It was s surprise to us when yhe news broke; we saw it live on BBC TV reports and heard it on Radio. We then had good brocasting architecture in Sierra Leone then and the Newspapers were excellent in covering the story. God bless 🙌 Show quoted text

[@georgewalker2831]

B​@@adeyinkamakinde6164 Mr Adewole John was a good friend of mine